+ why some homeowners are skipping insurance
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Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories:
• Britain’s new prime minister has a chance to reset ties with the White House – but a range of thorny issues and the US election make it more tricky
• Why are US politicians so old? And why do they want to stay in office?
• Flirting with disaster: When endangered wild animals try to mate with domestic relatives, both wildlife and people lose
The first half of 2024 ended with a bang – appropriate just before the Fourth – as the Supreme Court issued history-making rulings and the Biden-Trump debate caused rather a stir. Those are just two of the hundreds of stories we’ve covered over the past six months, which included wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine but also the latest in artificial intelligence and climate change and the always-delightful Curious Kids questions like “What is dirt?”
So we analyzed our readership data to figure out which stories were most engaging to our most loyal readers for the first six months of the year. It stands to reason that most of them were tied to big stories in the news. For example, we asked a cognitive psychologist to delve into when someone is too old to be president and a Jewish history scholar to consider when legitimate criticism of Israel cross the line into
antisemitism.
But my favorite of the top 5 wasn’t really newsy, though it was tied to a milestone – and one of my mom’s favorite composers. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony turned 200 earlier this year, and our tech editor – and talented musician – Eric Smalley asked music studies professor Ted Olson to mark the occasion and explain the impact of the piece, then and now.
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Bryan Keogh
Managing Editor
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Readers' picks
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Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University
It stands as the crowning achievement of Western classical music.
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Joshua Shanes, College of Charleston
In recent years, the relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism has taken on renewed importance and competing definitions of antisemitism have emerged. What is antisemitism?
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Terrence Guay, Penn State
Israel and Hamas are running through countless weapons in the ongoing war − but where are those weapons coming from?
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Regina Smyth, Indiana University
Alexei Navalny, a persistent thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died on Feb. 16, 2024, in prison, authorities said.
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Leo Gugerty, Clemson University
Decision-making abilities are critical to a president’s performance.
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Editors' picks
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Claire B. Wofford, College of Charleston
The Supreme Court’s decision has major implications for the criminal prosecution of Trump and for the country and how it is governed.
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Rick Gorvett, Bryant University
Homeowners insurance is so expensive that some people are going without it.
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Bill Sullivan, Indiana University
Common summer activities can expose you to a host of infectious diseases. But there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from pathogens ranging from E. coli to T. gondii.
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Denise Su, Arizona State University
A photo of Lucy’s reconstructed skeleton next to a live four-year-old girl shows how human Lucy was – and how small.
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Noah Cohan, Washington University in St. Louis
Patriotic coverage helps forge the Olympics’ sense of community, weaving viewers’ lives together with athletes’ struggles and triumphs.
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News Quiz 
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Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation
Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on fireworks, the Constitution & mac and cheese.
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About The ConversationWe're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to helping academic experts share ideas with the public. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you.
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